Eternal Wrath: Selfhood
by Mark-Owen
Summary: There comes a time after a long period of recovering that you have to look after yourself and become the person you once were, again. (Part 11 of Eternal Wrath)


**December 2nd 2012. 07:55 AM UTC-6. Watchtower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

Oliver had to do a double take when he saw Emil Hamilton getting out of Watchtower's dedicated bedroom. The man noticed him right away, he blushed as if he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar but Oliver didn't notice, his eyes were still fixated on the nude woman sitting on the bed, her back facing him.

He barely had time to see her red hair falling back to cover her figure when Emil closed the door abruptly. Oliver smirked, knowing he couldn't pass up such an occasion to rile up his friend.

"Well Emil you sure haven't gotten me used to that!" he chuckled, seeing the other man fidgeting with a dress shirt he had put on a haste. "So when are you going to introduce her to us?" he asked, coming by Emil to drape an arm over his shoulders and shake him playfully.

"Oh, no." Emil thought aloud, raising his eyes skywards. The mere thought of letting his friends know he was seeing someone was making him uncomfortable and he certainly didn't want to picture the both of them standing before a smug and teasing Justice League.

"This is recent development." he said, sending Oliver a glance sideways. "I'd appreciate if you didn't spread the news just yet, neither her or I, for that matter, are ready for that kind of gossip."

Oliver laughed. "It's okay, Emil." he winked at him and started heading down the stairs, his friend in tow. "You know I can keep a secret, right?"

Once they reached the main floor, Emil shook his head and took a detour by the coffee machine Chloe had brought in when they first got the Watchtower up and running years earlier.

"I trust you with our super-business, Oliver but I still have reservations about my private life." He sent him a significant glance. "Deep down I think you're just like everyone else when it comes to gossiping and you just couldn't hold your tongue for long."

Oliver grinned as he waited by the elevator. "I don't think I can handle so much honesty, there."

"Actually, Chloe is right." Emil rolled his eyes and joined his friend into the lift. "You are a drama-queen."

"Let's keep that a secret between us, shall we?" Oliver asked before pressing the button to the 10th floor.

* * *

The two men sobered up once they reached their destination and the elevator's doors slid open to allow them in one of Watchtower's lower levels. The 10th floor was an apartment suite hosting unexpected guests or recovering league members.

"Morning, AC." Oliver greeted his friend as he walked into the room with Emil by his side.

His teammate frowned, watching the two men approaching him as he stood by the window. During the old times, AC might have replied with enthusiasm but now, he remained silent, preferring to nod at Oliver.

"How are you feeling this morning, Arthur?" Emil asked, already producing a small medical light from his pocket.

"I'm okay, I think." He said, eying the object in Emil's hand warily.

"No headaches, no hallucinations or nightmares?" The physicist asked, patting the back of the chair he'd just pulled out.

"No." AC replied, sitting down in front of him.

Oliver watched in silence Emil examine AC's eyes for a moment. The patient started to become annoyed when Emil kept shoving beams of lights into his irises and grasped at the offending object.

"You done, yet?" he grumbled.

"I was just about to." Emil smiled, recovering his light from AC's hands.

"Good."

A few feet away from them, Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets. "Getting a bit restless, AC?"

"It was bound to happen, no?" AC replied. "I've been here for months. Though it beats the cage you put me in before."

Oliver grimaced. Having those memories being thrown back at his face wasn't something he enjoyed. Once AC was flown back to Watchtower by Clark after he attacked the submarine, it became quite clear to the League that their friend had been brainwashed to believe they were his enemies.

The paranoiac delirium AC had been caught in at the time had forced them to lock him up in one of Watchtower's underground levels so they could prevent him from attacking anyone or even escaping.

The long months he spent down there were terrible. He received no natural light and only had access to one bottle of water per day so he couldn't develop his powers. The first couple of weeks, his mental state deteriorated and Oliver had to admit that from his friend's point of view, his paranoia must have been reinforced.

Emil had reached the same conclusion and decided to give him a special treatment to fight back the invasive thoughts that had been planted into AC's mind.

It had been a long and painful fight for him but he got through it. After six months, AC's condition had improved to the point that he could be trusted again not to attack them. Emil allowed him to stay in one of Watchtower's suites, albeit if he accepted to be monitored at the beginning.

This move allowed Emil to put J'onn's telepathic abilities to use and the two men had long recurring sessions which resulted in the decision Oliver was going to announce to AC today.

"You've made a lot of progress, Arthur." Emil said.

"Yup." Oliver added. "So much so that we got news for you. Good news."

AC's interest was picked. "What's that?"

Oliver threw a key pass at him. "You're free to roam around as you wish." he said. "Or leave, if you want."

AC watched the card for a long moment. "It's not a test, is it?"

"Obviously nothing we could say would convince you but no it's not a test." Emil explained. "You've made enough progress to go back into public life."

"I'm still not the guy you said I used to be." He said to Emil.

"Letting you out might help with that. You will get to meet with the people you knew before without anyone else spying on your conversation." Emil replied. "Even if it doesn't help, now that you don't want to hurt anyone anymore, we have no right to keep you in here."

AC sighed and batted the key card with his fingers. "So I can go? Now?"

"Indeed, you can." Emil nodded.

"Door's open." Oliver said.

"Okay."

AC rose to his feet and headed into the elevator without another word. Within moments he was gone, leaving Oliver and Emil alone in the room.

"You think he'll be okay? He won't relapse, right?" Oliver looked at his friend.

"J'onn has been extremely helpful for his treatment and I trust his judgment." Emil said. "I have faith nothing bad will happen."

"I'm just asking because-"

"Yes, I know." Emil cut him off. "You have a family to protect now, I understand that. Believe me, Oliver, you have nothing to be afraid of."

Oliver sighed. "Alright, alright I believe you."

"Thank you," Emil smirked. "Speaking of your family, how's Chloe doing by the way?"

"Huh, generally she's doing okay." Oliver smiled. "She does have her moments though."

"Two more months, Oliver." he patted his friend on the back. "Come on, I'll get my case and we'll pay her a visit. Her check-up is due."

* * *

 **December 2nd 2012. 01:19 PM UTC-6. Undisclosed location.**

A guard buzzed through the gates and waved at his colleagues as he left the building and lit up a cigarette. He walked further into the back alley that led to the street, meeting a figure hiding in the shadows.

He pulled twice on his cigarette, breathing out a large cloud of smoke and looked up to watch it dissipate into the air.

"I'm assigned to him for the next shift in ten minutes." The man said, his eyes locked on the cloud.

Behind him, the figure shifted against the wall. "Keep your eyes open, Jay, higher-ups need that report."

"Do they really?" Jay turned to face the other person. "I heard things that suggested the opposite."

"What have you heard?"

"Well," Jay sucked on another puff. "Rumor has it that the King's been contacted by the new president. I heard he's considering getting us back in bed with the government."

"So," Jay shrugged. "Maybe he shouldn't go to so much trouble and just ask them questions."

The figure in the shadows let out a short laugh. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"I told you." Jay smirked. "Rumors."

"Tell your rumors to mind their own business." the shadows said. "The King hasn't forgotten what happened to Waller. The squad is to remain a private organization now. Got it?"

"I hear you." Jay finished his cigarette. "Well my time's up anyway."

"Remember the report." The agent said before disappearing down the alley.

Jay let out one last puff before tossing the cigarette on the ground and heading back towards the facility. The electric gates buzzed open once he showed his face to the camera.

He ignored the noise of the inmates and started heading down a corridor that led to a quieter part of the facility: the high-security quarters that housed all but one resident.

Jay crossed another checkpoint before finding himself alone in the corridors. He stopped in front of the sole door closed and slid open its vision hole. Inside laid one bald and immobile resident on a wheelchair. The man was once one of the most dangerous persons in the world and now he was reduced to being trapped inside his own body.

"Lex Luthor." Jay whispered.

Suddenly, the guard's eyes lost all human form and became red, unblinking dots focused on the inmates. He stared at the man for over ten minutes before his eyes flashed white for a second and he closed the vision hole, leaving Lex alone in the dark.


End file.
